WATERLOO OF BRUSSEL
At Waterloo, the Allied troops, commanded by the Duke of Welling ton, and the Prussians, led by Marshal Bliicher, encountered the French army on June 18th, 1815. It took only nine hours to defeat Napoleon, but 50,000 men were killed in the process. The Lion’s Mound (Butte Du Lion), 5km outside of town, is a huge hill that overlooks the site of Napoleon’s last battle. (Open Apr.-Sept. daily 9:30am-6:30pm; Oct. 9:30am-5:30pm; Nov.-Feb. 10:30am-4pm; Mar. 10am-5pm. ‚1.) Guides 1815 offers a guided walking tour of the battlefields leaving from the Lion’s Mound Visitors Center, (lhr. Apr-Sept. Sa-Su only. ‚3.) The informative Musee Wellington, 147 ch. de Bruxelles, was the British general’s headquarters and is now home to battle artifacts. (Open Apr.-Sept. daily 9:30am-6:30pm; Oct.-Mar. 10:30am- 5pm. ‚5, students ‚4. Audioguide included.)
Waterloo Station is far from most sights. The best option is to take a train from Brussels’s Gare du Midi to Braine L’Alleud station (15min. every hr. ‚3), and return on bus W, hopping off at Eglise (a church in the center of Waterloo near the Musee Wellington) and Route de NiveUes (a gas station near Lion’s Mound). The reverse route is also possible. Across the street from the Musee Wellington is the tourist office, 218 ch. de Bruxelles. (02 354 99 10. Open Apr.-Sept. daily 9:30am- 6:30pm; Oct.-Mar. 10:30am-5pm.) There are several cheap restaurants along Chaussee de Bruxelles, including L’Amusoir , 121 ch. de Bruxelles. (Lunch ‚7.35. Open daily noon-2:30pm and 6pm-10:30pm.)
